Does Sex Screw Up Athletic Performance?

Is It True That Sex Screws Up Athletic Performance?

If you happen to be in that rarefied group of women known as World Cup WAGs — the wives and girlfriends of the players competing in the world’s most high-stakes soccer tournament — then you know the perks of shacking up with an elite athlete: fame, fortune, and have you seen those toned physiques? You’re probably also aware of the restrictions the teams place on soccer stars' sex lives during the Cup. According to Women’s Health, some countries flat-out forbid their players from having sex during the tournament, while others have rules about when and how they can have it.

But, fans (and sex partners) of players from Germany, Spain, the U.S., Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Uruguay, and England can rest easy: These countries allow their athletes to do whatever they like between the sheets. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the unlucky players of Russia, Chile, Mexico, and Bosnia and Herzegovina aren’t allowed to have sex during the World Cup at all.

French players can have sex as long as it doesn’t go on “all night.” Nigerian players can only have sex with their spouses. Our favorite rule: Brazilian players are permitted to get it on, but only if the sex is not "acrobatic." With all these teams making all this fuss, is there really any evidence showing that an orgasm could cost you a win? Click through to find out the truth about whether sex hurts athletic performance. (Women's Health)